1st of July

[Laan Yaa Mo]

This, of course, is the former Dominion Day, now known as Canada Day in which Canadians throughout the country celebrate the day Britain granted independence to their former colony in 1867. Happily, we retained the Westminster form of government and now live peacefully under our Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II.

Most Canadians will be out and about at the beach, the lake, national parks and, in my case, at the ballpark watching the Detroit Tigers play the hometown Toronto Blue Jays. Others might be at the cottage or at home reading the many recent books about the War of 1812 in which the United States attempted to take over the British colony; however, they suffered defeat at the hands of gallant British soldiers, and Canadian and Indian volunteers in their imperialist venture.

[stattointhailand]

Now if that had been posted on Facebook it would have had a big thumb and several million "likes"

[Laan Yaa Mo]

But, alas, it is posted on here. 555+

[Astana]

Interestingly, during the course of the war, thousands of American slaves escaped to freedom in Canada. Perhaps that was the great paradox of 1812: a slave holding republic took arms against a monarchy committed to emancipation.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

In those days, what is now Canada was known as British North America but it did contain the Provinces of Upper Canada (present day Ontario), and Lower Canada (present day Quebec) as well as the Maritimes. British North America became the Dominion of Canada on 1 July 1867; hence, the celebration.

[Astana]

I guess the slaves didn't care what it was called as long as they were free from the tyranny of the American yoke!

[Laan Yaa Mo]

A number of slaves also fought on the side of the U.S. Here is some information from the internet:

War of 1812


Image: Death of General Brock at the battle of Queenston Heights, October 13th, 1812 (artwork by John Walker, courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-006487)

On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain, which was at that time in a life and death struggle with Napoleon and France. Much of the war was fought at sea and on the Great Lakes but the American army also tried to invade Canada, then part of the British Empire.

Blacks fought on both sides of the war, many with the US Navy. (Blacks made up somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of sailors manning the American ships on the Great Lakes.)

In Canada thousands of Black volunteers fought for the British. Fearing that the invading Americans would return them to slavery, many Blacks in Upper Canada served heroically in Black and regular regiments. The British promise of freedom and land united many escaped slaves under the British flag. Despite many restrictions barring them from service in the army, exceptions were always made for Black musicians. For example, it is thought that Black musicians filled out the ranks of the mostly Gaelic-speaking Glengarry Light Infantry Regiment of Upper Canada.

Another notable exception was the Coloured Corps, an Upper Canadian regiment made up of Blacks from the Niagara region. In 1812 Richard Pierpoint, a former slave who had won his freedom by fighting for the British in the American Revolution, petitioned the government to form a Black regiment. His request was granted with the condition that the commanding officer would be a White man. Pierpoint himself joined on as a private. The unit consisted of about 30 men from the Niagara region, many of whom had escaped slavery in the United States. The men fought bravely at the critical Battle of Queenston Heights.

The British Royal Navy did not have the same racial restrictions imposed by the British army. (Canadian hero William Hall had served with the Royal Navy earlier.) In 1814, Black regiments from the West Indies were employed during the naval campaign against New Orleans. After the war, the British settled a significant number of these sailors and their families in Canada, particularly Nova Scotia.

To Stand and Fight Together: Richard Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada
A review of a book that chronicles the participation of Black men who fought for the British during the War of 1812. From the Manitoba Library Association website.

To Stand and Fight Together: Richard Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada
Click on “Preview this Book” and then scroll down to page 73 for an account of the formation of the “Coloured Corps” in Upper Canada during the War of 1812. From From the Google Books website.

Admiral Cochrane's proclamation
Read a digitized copy of Admiral Cochrane's proclamation which invited Americans to desert to the British side during the War of 1812. A Government of Nova Scotia website.

The Black loyalists: the search for a promised land in Nova Scotia
Scroll down to page 389 for information about the Cochrane Proclamation. From Google Books.

Richard Pierpoint
A biography of Richard Pierpoint, soldier, militiaman, labourer, and farmer. From the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.

Richard Pierpoint
Read the text of "The Petition of Richard Pierpoint" submitted by Richard Pierpoint to Lieutenant Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland following his service to the British during the War of 1812. From the website for Parks Canada.

African Americans at war: War of 1812
Click on “Preview this Book” and then scroll down to page 151 for an overview of the role of Blacks in various military services on the British side in the War of 1812. From Google Books.

Edith Clayton
Scroll down to page 24 to read a profile of renowned basket weaver Edith Clayton, a descendent of “refuge Blacks” who arrived in Nova Scotia aboard British ships during the War of 1812. From the book The Haligonians: 100 Fascinating Lives from the Halifax Region. From Google Books.

We Are Rooted Here and They Can't Pull Us Up: Essays in African Canadian Women's History
Scroll down to page 32 to "The Women Among Them" for a brief note about actions leading to the War of 1812 and the subsequent plight of Africans who migrated to Nova Scotia from the US. By Sylvia Hamilton. From the Our Roots website.

http://www.blackhistorycanada.ca/events ... id=21&id=5

[Astana]

I wonder what the Americans promised to those blacks that fought for them?

[Laan Yaa Mo]

I wonder what the Americans promised to those blacks that fought for them?

If they were slaves, they did not have much choice.

[Astana]

Exactly! At least the free blacks in Canada had a choice whereas their American equivalent seemingly did not.

[BobHelm]

Thank you for drawing the date & war to the attention of the members Uncle.

It was an episode in history that had escaped me completely as there were some things of European interest happing at the same time.
I will now get reading!!

I hope that you enjoy Canada Day to the full extent of the law...

[Quanteen]

Virtually all the slaves in North America were brought over by British merchants. Their trade route saw them buying slaves in Africa, trading them for rum in the Caribbean and returning to Britain where they sold the booze.

[Astana]

The distribution of slaves between 1519–1867 to the so-called new world doesn't does not support your idea.

Destination and Percentage

Portuguese America 38.5%
British America (minus North America) 18.4%
Spanish Empire 17.5%
French Americas 13.6%
British North America 6.45%
English Americas 3.25%
Dutch West Indies 2.0%
Danish West Indies 0.3

Stephen D. Behrendt, David Richardson, and David Eltis, W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research, Harvard University. Based on "records for 27,233 voyages that set out to obtain enslaved Africans for the Americas". Stephen Behrendt (1999). "Transatlantic Slave Trade". Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. New York: Basic Civitas Books. ISBN 0-465-00071-1.

Slavery in the United States was firmly established by the time of the United States' Declaration of Independence (1776 an essentially Biritish monarchy versus British republican affair), thereby creating the United States where it flourished under American rule until the American Civil War effectively killed slavery, before the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (December 1865) formally outlawed the institution throughout the USA.

[Quanteen]

It's not my idea. It's a fact. Your breakdown of the distribution is thoroughly unrelated. British merchants bought African slaves and traded those who survived the crossing in the Americas.

[LilRed]

Astana:


Q said:

Virtually all the slaves in North America were brought over by British merchants.

Your chart shows "destination", but not the merchant or ship nationalities. Are we talking "apples and oranges" here?


ATB

[WBU ALUM]

The distribution of slaves between 1519–1867 to the so-called new world doesn't does not support your idea.

Portuguese America 38.5%

Your data is correct. Students of history (and instructors) know that the Portuguese were far and away the greatest importers of slaves from Africa.

[Astana]

Astana:


Q said:

Virtually all the slaves in North America were brought over by British merchants.

Your chart shows "destination", but not the merchant or ship nationalities. Are we talking "apples and oranges" here?


ATB

The Atlantic slave traders (i.e. the merchants), ordered by trade volume, were: the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, and the Americans. They had established outposts on the African coast where they purchased slaves from local African tribal leaders. Klein, Herbert S. and Jacob Klein. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Cambridge University Press, 1999. pp. 103–139.

See Roger Anstey's: The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, 1760–1810. London: Macmillan, 1975.

By the way LilRed... It took until May 31, 2007, for the Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley to sign a resolution expressing "profound regret" for Alabama's role in slavery and apologizing for slavery's wrongs and lingering effects. Alabama is the fourth Southern state to pass a slavery apology, following votes by the legislatures in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.[

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Thank you for drawing the date & war to the attention of the members Uncle.

It was an episode in history that had escaped me completely as there were some things of European interest happing at the same time.
I will now get reading!!

I hope that you enjoy Canada Day to the full extent of the law...

The British, Canadian militia and Indians were far fewer in number on the battlefield, but generally had better leadership. Of course, that was not always true as Johnny Horton likes to remind us in his song, 'The Battle of New Orleans'. Subsequently, a couple of Toronto DJ's put out their reply to Horton in their ditty, 'The Battle of Queenston Heights'.

On a tour of the White House in Washington a number of years ago, the guide liked to remind everyone that the dastardly British burnt the White House. This led to the writing of the U.S. national anthem as people saw the bombs bursting in air from as far away as Baltimore. However, what the guide forgot to mention, and I kindly told him, was that the burning of the White House by the British was partly in retaliation for U.S. troops burning Toronto (at that time named York) on three different occasions.

There is a lot of recent good books on this war, which some historians refer to as the First World War as it included fighting in Europe too. Wellington and Nelson, with the help of Prussia, put a stop to Napolean on land and sea. Nelson was an incredible man and strategist.

[dugles]

As a Canadian living here in Udon, I will have some friends over to my Casa for burgers and Beer and my Canadian Flags will be out for everyone to see. Happy Canada Day to all

[Laan Yaa Mo]

As a Canadian living here in Udon, I will have some friends over to my Casa for burgers and Beer and my Canadian Flags will be out for everyone to see. Happy Canada Day to all

It sounds like fun, but I wish the Government would go back to calling it Dominion Day.